One Dreary Night
by adamhunter-1223
Summary: What would happen if life hadn't been as kind to Timmy as it seems to have been? A little AU, a little ooc.
1. Chapter 1

Nightmares plagued him. They never stopped. All he could dream about was clouds of terrifying darkness intermixed with scenes of otherworldly violence and battle. It was too much for a ten year old to take. He woke up, tears streaming from his eyes, sweat completely soaking his pajamas and his hair. There were no covers on him; he must have thrashed them off again. He looked frantically around the room, his inborn fight or flight instincts screaming at him to find the threat so he could run away from it. He couldn't do anything to quell the panic that gripped him so tightly he couldn't breathe; desperately fighting for control he gripped the sheets and bent his will towards slowing his heart rate and frantic breathing. After a few moments his efforts began to show results as his heart stopped thudding against his chest quite so hard and his breathing changed from ragged, painful gasps to ragged, non painful gasps; seeing as he wasn't going to gain any more ground there he decided to work on relaxing his taught body. The fact that he could actually exercise the free will necessary to make the decision proved that he was already worlds better than when he had first woke up.

'_It's okay. It's over. It was just a dream, just a dream.'_

He repeated the phrase over and over, It was his mantra, it had been since he started having these nightmares...no, night terrors if he wanted to get technical, months ago.

His friends had noticed that he wasn't quite his normal self: he was a little more listless, he didn't have quite as much energy as he normally did. He told them he was just having a little trouble sleeping lately; it wasn't _exactly _a lie anyway. At first they had accepted his insomnia excuse, but when it began to get worse they started to worry more. It had gotten to the point that Mark Chang. Mark freaking Chang. Had noticed and commented on his behavior. He figured it really was bad if the Yugopatamian noticed. A.J. pestered him until he finally went to see the school counselor. He didn't blame the woman for grilling him for nearly an hour; it was her job after all. No reason to hate her for it. He just stuck to his story and acted like nothing was seriously wrong. Eventually she let him go with the offer to come see her again if he needed to get anything of his chest. Heh, right, like he could do that. If he spilled the beans there would be one of two outcomes. One: he'd get his fairy god parents taken away, and two: he'd get his fairy god parents taken away and sent to an institution. Gotta love those choices.

Speaking of his faeries, they had noticed something off. He'd caught Wanda giving him concerned looks when she thought he wouldn't notice, and Cosmo had been more vigilant...wow. Cosmo, vigilant? He never thought he'd have occasion to use those words in a sentence together without the words 'is not' between them. Even baby Poof seemed to see something was wrong. He didn't understand it, he was too young after all, but nowadays he was always ready to give his god brother a big hug, and did so quite often. It never failed to make Timmy smile. He loved the little orb of childish innocence.

His biological parents? They didn't even notice. Which, he had to admit, was sort of par for the course. They couldn't even remember his name sometimes. His freaking _name! _They kept acting the way they always did: childish, immature...neglectful. Even at his young age, he was beginning to realize that his parents were...different...than his friend's parents.

While his friend's parents seemed to be a source of comfort and security for Chester and A.J., his parents were more like children than he was sometimes. His mom could barely cook; they said that diet and exercise were the keys to being thin. In his case it was certainly the former that kept him slightly underweight. His father barely eked out a living as a pencil pusher at...come to think of it, he didn't really know exactly _where _his father worked, just that it had something to do with pencils. Well...he also happened to know that his father apparently had a nearly perfect track record, but that was about it. His mother was the the one who brought home the bacon in their family. For all her other flaws she was quite the realtor, and realtors don't exactly work for minimum wage after all. But no matter how good they may be at their respective jobs, he still couldn't understand how they managed to be so obscenely, mind bogglingly, incomprehensibly, _stupid _sometimes. He had to bail them out of predicaments of various levels of dangerous and moronic on a near-daily basis. Granted, some of the problems were caused by one of his wishes, but still, his father forgot to put pants on a few times a month. If it were only that, he probably could have dealt with it and been fairly amused by it. But it wasn't just that. They were so selfish it was sickening, almost every night they were off to a restaurant, going to a movie, or attending a concert or some such. Him? He was stuck with Vicky.

He cringed at the thought of the red haired witch. Fear surged up as he saw them leave in his mind's eye. He squeezed his eyes shut as memories came flooding back against his will. All the times Vicky had smiled as his parents left and she turned to him with that look in her eyes. For years he had endured screaming, threats, and occasional beatings. He clutched his stomach as a surge of nausea washed over him. Vicky was smart about the pain she loved to inflict upon him, always careful not to break bones or leave bruises that were too dark or in places that would look odd. The worst part was that his parents never even noticed! He had long ago stopped counting the nights he had cried himself to sleep after Vicky had sent him to bed, almost always hungry. Not that he would have eaten anything she had given him anyway. One particular memory sunk its claws into him savagely, the one time he had tried to tell his parents about what had happened the previous night.

*flashback*

"But mommy!" He cried, desperate. "She-she hit me! Lots of times! See!" he held up his small arm, an assortment of bruises marked it from wrist to shoulder.

"Now, now honey. It's not nice to say things like that about your babysitter! You just need to be a bit more careful when you play." He couldn't believe his ears! She didn't believe him!

"Daddy!-"

"No, your mother is right son. Just be a little more careful and you wouldn't get hurt like that." His father said dismissively. "Now be a good boy while your mother and I are out tonight."

"You're going out?! But-but she'll-"

"That's enough young man, we have to go soon or we'll be late. Go wait in your room until Vicky gets here, and when she does you will apologize to her for what you said understand?" The tone in his mother's voice was adamant. He slowly walked to his room, his stomach twisting nearly inside out as he waited for what he knew was coming. Sure enough, within five minutes of his parents' departure he heard stomping footsteps on the stairs. He began crying uncontrollably.

"I hit you huh?! Lots of times huh?!" The furious adolescent screamed, she didn't give him a chance to open his mouth to defend himself. What followed was without a doubt the longest, most vicious, agonizing beating he had ever endured. He had no idea how long it lasted. Only that it seemed like an eternity. By the time she finally stopped he had ceased even pretending to resist, he just lay there like a ragdoll, whimpering occasionally. She stood over him for about a minute, her voice rough and her face red. Much like him, only she wasn't in gratuitous amounts of pain. That part he could handle, it was the smile on her face that scared him to this day. She looked beatific. Like she had just shot up or something.

"Next time you do something like that it'll be much worse...do you understand?" That was the first time he had ever truly feared for his life.

"Y-yes." He rasped out.

"Good" She stayed and leered at him for a few seconds longer and then she walked out and closed the door behind her. He didn't leave his room until the next morning; he just laid there until he felt strong enough to crawl painfully under the covers. He was too scared to turn the light off.

He fell asleep shortly thereafter and didn't wake up until his parents came home. He woke up hearing loud, cheerful voices coming from the hallway accompanied by quick, loud footsteps. He rolled over quickly, so his back was towards his mother when she came into the room briefly. She only stayed in long enough to glance at him and then turn off the light, increasing the terror that had returned once he woke up by an order of magnitude. He never told them, or anyone else about what had happened. Not even Cosmo and Wanda.

It had changed him, for a long time he refused to wear short sleeved shirts for fear of the marks being discovered and getting another beating. Ever since then Vicky had always asked him if he had told anyone about what she did, his answer was invariably a fearful 'no'. This went on for a long time, long enough for him to get used to it and become very good at hiding the marks. Then something strange and wonderful happened. Vicky got a baby sister she could abuse. Throughout the years he had noticed that although Vicky remained as sadistic as ever, the physical beatings had never reached that level of intensity ever again and had eventually stopped all together. Now she seemed content to terrify him with threats and verbal abuse instead of getting her hands dirty like that one horrible night so long ago. Now that he thought about it, that night was the beginning of a change in the relationship between him and his parents. After that he had never trusted them quite as much, never enjoyed their presence like he used to. As time went on and his hope of rescue was slowly ground into the dirt the trend had continued until it got to the point it was today.

'_Honestly!' _he thought _'What's the point of having a kid if you don't get involved with their life and be a real parent! Did they have me out of some sick sense of...duty?! Making sure that they meet the white picket fence dream and 2.5 kid statistic or something?!'_

The fear was gone, and as always the despair came right on its heels.

_'They...they barely even see me. They see me at breakfast...for five minutes. Then when I get home...for ten minutes if I'm lucky, and then they foist me off on Vicky. I wish...' _

He stopped mid-thought...as far as he knew the rules didn't forbid...no, now that he thought about it they weren't allowed to mess with love, which by extension would mean an acute lack thereof. The more he thought about it the more he realized there was nothing he could do. Running away was stupid, he'd tried that once and learned his lesson; he couldn't use magic to make them care. He could make them _not _care, but one close brush with crocodilian death was enough for him. No, he decided, there was no alternate route.

_'At least I'm rational enough to take care of the bedding now.'_

He looked down to examine the damage, it wasn't as bad as some times but the bedding still warranted a trip through the laundry. There was a huge dark circle from what he hoped was just sweat, a few sniffs confirmed this. The few times it hadn't been just sweat...well, it wasn't pleasant. He sighed and hopped down to the floor

and began pulling the sheets and blanket off his bed, the pillowcase needed to come off too, he could actually see the outline of his head, or something close to it anyway. After he tossed the soiled bedding into a heap on his floor he walked across the room to his closet and pulled out a fresh set, he had plenty. A few minutes later his bed looked the same as it always did, if a little neater, then he picked up the wet sheets and blanket which were already beginning to smell and silently made his way to the laundry room and tossing them into the pile of clothes. Making his way past his room he passed by his parents' room and on an impulse peeked through the cracked door. His parents were sound asleep judging by the prodigious snoring. No one could out snore his dad. As he stood there he waited for a sudden urge to go climb into bed with them and find respite from his worries and drown in his parent's love and concerned affection. When the urge didn't come the first emotion his traumatized mind spat out was guilt

_'Every child wants to be loved by their parents. Every child longs and yearns for their father's strong presence and their mother's soothing embrace. This detachment is abnormal...just like you. An anomaly, an anomaly that shouldn't be allowed to-_

He severed the train of thought before his thoughts could turn suicidal...again. He moved on and back to his own room, when he got there an aftershock of panic and fear clenched at his chest and he froze in the doorway. It passed a few seconds later and as he remained still and caught his breath his gaze meandered around and finally landed on the fishbowl on the small nightstand next to his bed. For some reason he had never blamed his fairy godparents for not prying at him until he told them about his nightmares. Probably because they paid him worlds more attention than his biological parents and they had always genuinely _cared_, granted it was in their own...eccentric way. Not to mention the fact that they had always been willing to dish out some revenge on Vicky on his behalf and they were always the first ones to cheer him up after a bad day. The thought brought a small smile to his face as he imagined the two lighthearted, 'mature' faeries and the oddly spherical baby. Honestly, sometimes he thought that Poof was the mature one.

What time was it anyway? After a brief consultation with the clock he learned that it was just after two in the morning. Perfect. He walked over to his bed and was about to climb on when he realized he was still in his soaked pajamas. He mentally cursed himself for being stupid and padded over to his dresser to look for a replacement pair, only to find none at all. Great, just great. He dug through his other drawers fruitlessly; it was laundry day tomorrow, so his wardrobe was essentially depleted. All he had was his favorite outfit, simple jeans and a dark pink t-shirt. People may mock him for the pink once in a while, but it was worth it. They were the most comfortable clothes he had. He stripped down to his boxers and laid the rest of the clothes on the floor next to the vent in his room so they would dry faster and crawled onto his small bed and peeked out his window. As he expected, there was nothing out there. He pulled the curtains aside and pushed his window open to its fullest extent. A slight breeze wafted in. He shivered subtly, not from cold; it was getting towards late spring, his favorite time of year, so the temperature was just right. He leaned on the window sill and engaged in his favorite hobby, staring at the sky.

Most people, those who enjoy gazing up at the sky anyway, enjoy clear full-moon nights when everything is magical and bright. He enjoyed those, he enjoyed them a lot. But his favorite sky to look at, without a doubt, was one like this. He smiled as he looked up at the pure unbroken ceiling of clouds that were just now starting to release its pent up rain. It was going to be a long soaker. For some reason looking up at the melancholy sky always calmed him. He loved they way the clouds reflected the glow of the streetlights and turned that beautiful peach color, he loved the way they seemed to make the sky look...lower somehow; he especially loved the snug feeling it gave him. Like the world wasn't quite so big and scary. As he savored the sound of the rain falling, the smell of the storm and the sight of the drops falling he almost sank into sleep again but caught himself at the last minute. He didn't want to fall back into his nightmares. He shivered again, out of fear this time, and was just about to go and check if his pajamas were dry yet (he knew they weren't but he would do anything to keep his mind off his memories) when a telltale 'poof' sounded behind him, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin.

"Sweetie? What's wrong...what happened to your pajamas?"

Timmy quickly hid behind his bed and poked his head out, trying to conserve his modesty

"Nothing! I, uh, I just c-couldn't sleep is all." Wanda Frowned, something was wrong, she knew it. He had been acting odd ever since the whole adventure with the Darkness. She had tried to observe him unobtrusively and figure things out but between dealing with Poof and Cosmo, not to mention the insane predicaments that seemed to crop up on a daily basis she hadn't been successful. Now she regretted not being more active in her efforts.

"Are you sure sport?" She asked as she raised her arm and poofed him a new pair of pajamas. In the brief second her wand flashed he could see that she was dressed in her fluffy pink bathrobe and looked concerned. He quickly put the fresh nightwear on and tried to reassure her that he was alright.

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine just...couldn't sleep." It sounded lame, even to him. He could tell she wouldn't buy it. He looked down, trying to hide his face from her. He could practically _feel _the concern washing off her, it was...sort of nice, knowing that someone cared enough to feel like that.

"Does this have something to do with the incident with the Darkness?" Wanda asked, displaying the extra sensory perception available to almost all mothers. "When you were captured?" She ventured gently. The way he jerked when she said 'Darkness' proved her right. For a split second he wanted to resist further but his will to fight faded before he could even try. A few tears slipped down his cheeks, followed by a few choked breaths. He refused to meet her gaze, he just stood there unable to move or speak, the emotion that he had been smothering the whole night welling up again. He suddenly felt a pair of arms encircle him gently.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Asked Wanda, she had a good idea, but she wanted to be sure. Besides, he needed to get this out, if he didn't the scars would never heal. She hated seeing him go through this, she hated the fact that the healing process had to hurt this much but she knew this was the only way. She had seen him go through it to a lesser extent when she and Cosmo had first been assigned to him. His fear of Vicky had left a number of not-insignificant emotional scars, and a few physical ones that Timmy didn't know she knew about.

"I....I...I just had a bad dream." His voice cracked as he made one last futile attempt to resist.

"It doesn't sound like it was _just _a bad dream." Wanda said, trying to get him to open up. She needn't have tried, a few seconds after he said it he couldn't take it anymore. He broke down sobbing. He buried his face in her shoulder and cried. Painful, heaving sobs wracked his small frame as he gripped her like a drowning man to a life raft.

She didn't say anything, instead she teleported them both into the castle where she lived along with Cosmo. His emotional turmoil was so great he didn't even notice as she carried him through the corridors of the castle and into the bedroom she shared with her husband. Cosmo sat up quickly as he heard the frantic sobs coming from his godson and looked at Wanda. She gave him a 'talk later' look and moved into bed, still holding Timmy. Cosmo joined her as she settled onto the bed and began rocking back and forth. For a long time they stayed like that, until the sobs quieted into cries, the cries into moans, and the moans to weak and fearful whimpers.

When she saw that Timmy was still awake Wanda stopped rocking and met his bloodshot eyes and held his gaze as Cosmo moved next to his wife and put a concerned hand on his godson's violently trembling shoulder.

"It's okay...it's okay, nothing can get you here, you're safe with us sweetheart. You're safe here with us." She cradled him close to her as Cosmo wiped the tears off Timmy's cheeks. The grief worn child hiccupped once and a glass of water instantaneously appeared in front of him. He reached for it and tried to grasp it, but his hand shook so badly that Cosmo took it for him and helped him drink a little.

Easy, if you drink too much or too fast you could get sick. The green haired fairy cautioned as he slowly poured small amounts of water into his child's mouth. "Shh, shh, it's alright."

Wanda placed a hand on his forehead and began petting him gently.

"I...I'm sorry-" Timmy began, only to be interrupted by Cosmo.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Nothing at all." He stated gently, but assuredly. "You don't have to talk about it now, you're exhausted. Try and get some sleep and-"

"No!" Timmy rasped hoarsely, terror gripping him so hard he nearly vomited. "I...t-they'll come back! I can't sleep! I can't!" The terrified outburst drew fresh concern from the faeries holding him and they both consoled him until he calmed down again.

"Okay, little one, you don't have to sleep if you don't want to. You can lay in bed with us okay?" Suggested Wanda soothingly, Timmy nodded. "Okay, just try to relax. If you get scared again tell us. We won't leave your sight alright?"

Timmy nodded again and the fairies lay down. Neither Cosmo nor Wanda could sleep with their ward in such a distraught state and both curled up around Timmy, surrounding him and wrapping their arms around him until he was sandwiched between them, Wanda in front, Cosmo behind. Timmy buried his face in Wanda's shoulder and took deep breaths through his nose to try and calm down. Each time he inhaled he could smell the shampoo Wanda used, a magical blend that smelled like a forest after a storm. He could also smell Cosmo. His godfather smelled like the wind off of a lake, due to the magical cologne he wore. The combined scents went a long way towards easing his fear and relaxing him. The soft circles Cosmo was tracing along his back also helped. He suddenly felt bone-weary, as though he had just run the circumference of the earth and back. He realized he was about to fall asleep and fought it for a short while before he gave up and prepared to surrender to the inevitable. Before he succumbed to the blackness to come he used the last of his energy to say what was on his incohesive mind.

"Tell you...'bout it t'morrow...love...you...please...don' stop." Though his words were barely comprehensible due to his fatigue, his intention was clear as day.

"Its okay honey, get some rest."

"You're safe."

The responses fell on deaf ears as Timmy Turner fell into his first dreamless sleep in months.

When Timmy didn't wake up the next morning, neither Cosmo nor Wanda were surprised. Eventually though, things had to be done. Cosmo left to take care of Poof and create a cover for Timmy. Wanda stayed in the same position she had been in all night and watched in case her godchild should have a nightmare. Her fears were proved groundless however, as he didn't so much as twitch the whole day. When he finally did wake up, it was well after dusk the next day. He tried to sit up but found himself too disoriented and stiff from his prolonged slumber. Wanda helped him up and held him close. They sat there a few minutes as Timmy slowly woke up. Neither one broke the silence that had settled in the room hours ago. Only when Cosmo came in did Timmy stir again. He looked at his godfather with bloodshot eyes and red cheeks; he opened his mouth to say something and ended up coughing. His mouth and throat were so dry they felt like sandpaper.

Wanda reached for the glass of water and helped him drink the last of it as Cosmo crawled back into bed and snuggled up with the two.

"I made sure you won't have to go to school for a while." Said Cosmo, surprising the two. When Wanda gave him a questioning look he grinned and explained. "The water and sewage pipes above Mr. Crocker's room and the Principal's office kind of...well, they exploded." Wanda looked shocked for a moment before returning her attention to Timmy.

"How are you feeling little one?" Asked Wanda softly, Timmy sniffled a few times before answering.

"Awful...but a bit better" he said in a very small voice. "Thank you."

"It's alright sport. Do you think you're up to telling us what's wrong?" Asked Cosmo as he slowly stroked Timmy's hair. Timmy nodded a bit and opened his mouth to talk but paused before saying anything. Both godparents waited patiently. Wanda started running her hand up and down Timmy's back and the child silently absorbed the much needed reassurance for a moment before beginning his painful (but thankfully short) explanation.

"It...It started after the...the u-uh..." Another pause and both faeries nodded their understanding, seeing that even speaking its name was too hard for him. "After the whole thing was over and done with...I...I never told anyone but...when it had me...it...I...I _saw it_ I saw it for what it truly was, I saw it's memories, the battle against the fairy warriors...for a while I thought we had become the same being. I know why it does what it does; I know why it acts like that. Every second I was merged with it was unbearable, and I can't stop thinking about it and now I can't sleep without having nightmares so bad I'd do anything rather that have them! It's so bad it actually hurts!" His voice cracked and his fragile emotional control dissolved and he started crying again. Wanda sighed and locked eyes with Cosmo, who looked like he was being stabbed. She felt the same way. The pain and fear in her child's voice made her sick. They huddled together, providing their godchild the care and love he needed. After a while his composure returned.

"I...I just want it to go away!" His voice was thick with pain. "I just want to be able to sleep! I...I can't stop thinking about it...every time I think I'll be okay, I have another panic attack. I hate going to school. Whenever I go the memories hit me like a hammer. It always feels like I'm having a heart attack. I can't breathe and my chest clenches up. I...I hid it because I was so afraid. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's okay, we understand sweetheart, we understand." Stated Wanda, gently, "we'll help you get over this."

Timmy looked up at her and looked at her with confusion and a painfully tiny amount of hope in his eyes. "Really...how?"

"You can stay here with us as long as you need. We'll take make sure that no one notices that you're gone. When you feel up to it, we can take you to Fairy world and talk to a few faeries I know who can help you some more."

Timmy thought about that for a long time, snug and safe in his godparent's embrace. So what, he'd miss some school, not like he learned much anyway. The thought of spending all his time with his god family was very comforting, and the prospect of being able to sleep again was almost like a drug. He smiled a bit and felt a weight he hadn't even been aware of lift off his shoulders.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." His voice was stronger now, oddly enough. His godparents smiled back at him. For a long time none of them moved, then Poof started making plaintive noises in the next room. "Go on, he needs you too." Said Timmy softly. Cosmo and Wanda looked at each other for a moment Before Cosmo got up and went to get the baby. A few seconds later he re-appeared with Poof with him. The infant instantly brightened upon seeing his god brother and started babbling excitedly as he expertly escaped his father's arms and flew over to Timmy, who embraced him with a grin. Poof returned the embrace as much as he could; it wasn't exactly easy to hug someone when you're spherical after all. After a few seconds Poof settled down and let himself be picked up by Cosmo when everyone detected a bad smell. Cosmo took him out of the room to take care of the issue with his face scrunched up and gagging all the way. Timmy snuggled closer to Wanda and yawned before he could control himself.

"Tired sweetie?"

"Yeah....um...do you think you could...uh..." The tentative tone returned to his voice

"Yes little one?"

"Um...could you, uh, rock me to sleep...like you do with Poof?" Wanda smiled at him.

"Of course, little one." She began rocking back and forth and after a few seconds she started to sing a soft lullaby. Timmy tried to stay awake as long as he could to savor the moment but he didn't stand a chance. Cosmo walked back into the room with Poof just as Timmy was beginning to close his eyes.

"Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

For the first few days after Timmy finally told Cosmo and Wanda about his nightmares they all stayed in the castle and planned what to do next. It was decided that Timmy needed to rest for a while before they did anything else. After that things could go in a number of directions. The only thing they knew for sure was that Timmy would be going to see a psychologist in Fairy world. Timmy was just grateful for the chance to depressurize. He could almost physically feel the stress that had built up for months drain from him on a daily basis, and in its wake the tension left exhaustion. He slept an average of fifteen hours a night, he did have a few nightmares but these weren't nearly as bad as they had been, and sleeping in the same bed as Cosmo and Wanda meant they could wake him up when he did have them. During the day they spent time together as a family, there weren't any extreme wishes or trips to faraway places or anything like that; Timmy was content to just sit on a couch with Wanda and read comic books and occasionally play with Poof.

Cosmo and Wanda were saddened by the changes, they were happy to know what was wrong and how they could help; but they still couldn't help feeling pangs of guilt over not noticing anything or doing earlier. They were also shocked at how affectionate he had become. Timmy may have matured a lot faster than normal when it came to some things but he was still a fairly rambunctious ten year old boy in many aspects. He had never been hesitant to return hugs, but he never really initiated them either. Now he would cuddle with them at every opportunity. He wasn't so clingy he refused to let go, but he definitely enjoyed and sought out physical affection more. No one minded this, Wanda was practically overjoyed, and so was Poof. After a week had passed they began to plan more seriously. Wanda announced her intentions while they were in bed eight days after he had first come.

"If you're feeling up to it I'd like to head to Fairy World tomorrow so we can go talk to some friends of mine and look into a psychologist." Wanda wasn't sure how Timmy would feel about this, and she didn't want to press; so she gave him the choice to back out if he wanted. Timmy had been snuggling with her and was nearly asleep when she said it, so it took his semi-active brain a few seconds to process her veiled question, and another minute to start really thinking about it.

"I…yeah, I think I'm up to it. We wouldn't have to go too early in the morning would we?" Timmy wasn't a morning person. He was more of a crack of noon kind of guy if he could manage it.

"No, I was planning on setting up an informal meeting with her and a few other psychologists before we commit to one." Timmy nodded and yawned, Wanda smiled slightly as she pulled him close and kissed his forehead and bid him goodnight. Timmy murmured an acknowledgement as he cuddled closer. Cosmo came in a few seconds later and crawled into bed with his wife and godchild.

"How did he take it?" He asked quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping child.

"He agreed…I just hope we can find a good match for him. I think I know someone who will be able to get him to open up but you never know." She bit her lip as she worried about her decision. Cosmo put a hand on her shoulder.

"There are a lot of psychologists we can see. Even if you don't know one personally we can find one through the Agency. They're the best out there, if anyone can help him they can. Now go to sleep, we're going to need it." As if to prove his point, Wanda yawned.

"Yeah, you're right honey. Thanks." She laid down and felt Cosmo drape an arm over Timmy and herself. She smiled as she let sleep overtake her.

The next morning they woke up bright and early at ten forty five. Hey, for them that _was _bright and early. After breakfast they headed up to fairy world. Their first stop was Mama Cosma's house to drop off Poof. Cosmo's overprotective mother greeted them the way she always did, with blatant dislike of Wanda and cajoling Cosmo about his choice in a partner. She agreed to watch Poof without putting up a fight, but she was curious about their visit.

"Why ever do you need me to watch him Cosmie?" She asked, clearly assuming it was Wanda's fault as per usual.

"It's personal." Timmy said, he didn't want anyone to know the reason behind his trip and telling Mama Cosma would have been equivalent to announcing it over a P.A. system. The green haired old lady cocked an eyebrow, obviously interested. If there was one thing Mama Cosma liked more than insulting Wanda, it was acquiring and distributing secrets; the more personal the better.

"What could it be that you can't tell your god grandmother?"

"Something personal." Timmy answered reservedly. Mama Cosma's other eyebrow joined the first. Timmy was rather passionate and energetic, due in equal parts to his age and his personality and he was given to rash outbursts, not guarded reserve. The stark contrast shocked the elder fairy out of her usual frame of mind and made her suspicious. Now that she looked at him closely she noticed that he looked a little pale and thin, and his eyes looked a little bloodshot.

"Is something wrong?" There was no accusation in her voice as she looked at Cosmo and Wanda to ask, the fact that she addressed them both was, more than anything an indication of her concern.

"No, I just don't want people to know I'm here." Timmy stated quietly. "Is it weird to want some privacy?" Timmy seemed to notice the brief flash of hurt that passed over the green haired woman's face because he quickly amended himself. "Sorry, I…haven't been feeling good lately. It's made me cranky, thanks for asking."

The elder fairy accepted his apology but was still suspicious and tried to get them to stay longer so she would be able to get a chance to wheedle the truth out of one of them but they refused, stating truthfully that they had to go meet someone soon.

"Hey Wanda, who are we going to see anyway?" Asked Timmy as they walked through the floating cloud city, Wanda hadn't given any details besides the fact that the person was a friend of hers.

"Oh, she's a psychologist. She's attached to the Godchild Agency but she has her own practice. The Agency only calls her in for extreme or odd cases. She's very good at what she does and I think you'll like her." She smiled as she thought of the fairy they were going to meet. They had met in high school and had become fast friends. Keeping in touch over the millennia hadn't been easy but it was worth it. They took a roundabout way to get to the rather secluded park they were scheduled to meet, since the incident that had caused Timmy his problems he hadn't gone to Fairy World much because he had achieved a sort of rock-star status; it was okay the first few times he had visited but it quickly started to pall. It got even worse after his nightmares started; the constant reminders of what happened drove him insane. He hadn't gone to Fairy World much beforehand so his absence hadn't been seen as odd.

"Well, here we are!" Wanda stated cheerfully. The Park was one of the smaller ones in Fairy World; it was made to look like a forest on earth. If you looked closely you could pick out discrepancies, such as deciduous trees thriving right next to coconut palms for example. That's what Timmy liked best about it though, it looked like earth but it still had a touch of the silly aura that tended to manifest whenever faeries were involved. This was one of his favorite places in Fairy World. He took a deep breath and savored the smell of the trees when Wanda spoke again.

"By the way sport, she's going to have her godchild with her. I've been meaning to introduce you to each other for some time now, she's a little shy so be nice." Timmy quirked an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Why do you want us to meet?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"She doesn't really have any friends because of…some extenuating circumstances. It's not really my place to say anymore than that. Be nice to her though, she's been through a lot." Timmy nodded, he understood somewhat. There wasn't any more time for contemplation because they had arrived in the clearing they were heading to and they weren't alone. Wanda's friend was already in the moderately large gap in the trees floating over a red blanket that was spread out on the ground. She was wearing a white blouse with black pants and matching black shoes. They looked comfortable and ever so slightly worn. She didn't wear any makeup or earrings, or any jewelry at all. She looked surprisingly average for a fairy in both facial features and hair; most faeries either had a naturally non-human hair color or chose to dye it or wear it in a distinctly strange fashion. Her shoulder length brown hair was tied back into a ponytail with a black band. She didn't really didn't have any distinguishing marks or characteristics on her face either, she looked like any number of people you would see in a crowd and could easily blend in wherever she wanted. She smiled when she saw Cosmo and Wanda and immediately went over to greet her old friends.

"Cosmo, Wanda! It has been far, far too long! At least two hundred years, where does the time go?" She had just finished saying this when she noticed Timmy for the first time. "Oh, this must be Timmy." She floated over to him and extended her hand, Timmy reciprocated the greeting, nervous for some reason.

"Hi, um…" He started awkwardly, realizing quickly that he didn't know her name.

"Oh, I am sorry, my name is Celestia." She said, smiling at him. She spoke rather quietly, another strange trait for a fairy. Her voice carried a slight lilt to it, something vaguely aristocratic; and something about her pronunciation of a few words made Timmy think she had spent some time in England. "Wanda has told me quite the number of stories about you. It is nice to finally make your acquaintance."

"Where's your god kid Celestia? I thought she was going to be here." Asked Cosmo as he looked around.

"She is off walking through the trees somewhere around here. She should be back any minute now. In the mean time let us set up the food, then we can talk in a more civilized manner." Celestia waved her wand and a basket appeared with a poof. She and Wanda started pulling various things out and setting them up. The food was a little more upscale than Timmy would have imagined: a number of quiches, a large raspberry tart, and a container of cheese that looked extremely soft and smelled like liquid death. The assortment got even odder from then on out but Timmy was distracted by the sound of someone moving through the nearby trees.

"I found some-" It was Celestia's godchild. She looked to be about ten and was wearing a lightweight brown long sleeved shirt with matching pants; they made her pale complexion stand out a bit and highlighted her flaming red hair and strange eyes. It was her eyes that really caught Timmy's attention, one was storm cloud grey and the other was mottled two different shades of green, one just slightly lighter than Cosmo's hair and the other a deep emerald. She seemed surprised to see the others and immediately dropped her head slightly, causing her hair to fall over her eyes.

"Ah, Amanda I am glad you are back! Oh, what did you find dear?" Timmy only then noticed that the shy girl was holding a number of strange looking fruits, deep red and vaguely circular. They definitely weren't apples, or anything else Timmy had ever seen either. Amanda quickly walked over to Celestia, precluding Timmy from asking any questions; once she got closer Amanda whispered something which made her godmother smile and laugh. Judging by the distress suddenly apparent in her body language, this was not the intended result. "Amanda, these are some old friends of mine: Cosmo and Wanda, and their godson Timmy. Wanda and I have been wanting to get together and catch up for some time now, and this was a marvelous time to do so." Timmy noticed that she seemed to look a little more curious when his name was used; he was pretty sure what was coming next.

"Timmy Turner…t-the Chosen One?" Her head was slightly cocked to one side as she looked at her godmother, who nodded regally.

"Yes, the very same; but it is only polite to direct such an inquiry towards the person it is about." Reprimanded Celestia gently. This seemed to be a signal because Amanda turned to him and faced him squarely, though she still kept her hair in front of her eyes.

"She's right, I'm sorry. Um…" She faltered, unsure of what to say or how he would react. Timmy came to her rescue.

"It's alright; I don't really like to talk about the whole mess anyway. Being treated like a…legend or something is nice for the first five minutes but it gets kind of awkward and uncomfortable after that." The reply seemed to put her at ease and Timmy couldn't help but wonder why she acted that way. Timmy's pondering was cut off by Celestia laughing loudly.

"My, such modesty! Wanda was correct about you. It takes a man of character to stay humble." She seemed extremely amused by that, Timmy couldn't figure out why though.

"Not really, I just don't like being treated like that." He would have continued but his stomach decided to voice its own opinion rather loudly. He blushed the color of a ripe tomato. "Uh…sorry, I didn't have much breakfast."

"Not to worry, let us eat. Oh, I am sorry Amanda; did you find some fruit earlier?" Amanda held the strange fruit out again and Celestia smiled widely. "Ah, pomegranates! Wonderful! Thank you, now what would you like to drink?" Celestia insisted on offering everyone tea, Timmy and Cosmo declined, Cosmo had always preferred coffee and Timmy didn't like either. No one spoke much during the meal itself, too preoccupied with the delicious food…though jellied eel was something Timmy could have gone an entire happy lifetime never encountering without any repercussions.

After the meal was over, however, Celestia resumed talking quickly; she was very interested in his adventures and before long she had him practically telling her his life story. The way she got him to talk sort of shocked him at first, he didn't mean to be that open or to talk so much about himself but whenever he tried to change the subject she inevitably brought it back. Cosmo and Wanda didn't mind, in fact they 'helped' by making sure to mention some of the more amusing tales. Such as the time they had accidentally reanimated Timmy's pet gerbil, which had proceeded to try and murder him. They also mentioned Timmy's first encounter with Mark Chang and some of the other stories involving the Yugopatamian prince. After a while, Timmy found that he was laughing with everyone else and enjoying himself; this was a bit of a surprise but it was rather nice. Even Amanda seemed to be enjoying herself, though she still kept her head down for the most part.

"Well, and here I thought that Wanda was exaggerating the stories somewhat; now I see that I was wrong. I must confess though, I am rather curious about your adventure with The Darkness. You have skirted around it neatly but I would like to hear of it. You need not fear being thought longwinded or arrogant, I fancy myself a bit of a historian in my spare time you see. I have read nearly all of the books on the matter that we have in Fairy world but I think a firsthand account would prove much more enlightening." To Timmy's credit, he didn't flinch too much when she asked him, but if he had looked very closely at Celestia's face he would have noticed an infinitesimal narrowing of her eyes.

"Uh, well…" He stammered. If he started talking about it chances were he'd have another panic attack. Just because he could sleep a bit easier didn't mean he was healed. "I, uh, it's not that interesting anyway." Celestia was quiet for a split second and then nodded.

"I understand, it is quite alright. Oh, look at the time. I believe we have been here for a little too long. I will be hard pressed to find the time to finish the reports I need to make. Amanda, be a dear and help Timmy pack everything up will you? I would like to have a word with Cosmo and Wanda in private." Timmy and Amanda did as she asked and the faeries floated just out of the clearing to talk. As soon as they were out of earshot Celestia spoke.

"He's having problems isn't he?" She said without preamble. "He flinched ever so slightly when I mentioned The Darkness, his eyes are a bit bloodshot, he looks a bit thin for a boy his age, and the way he stuttered was dead giveaway."

"You're as insightful as ever." Wanda sighed.

"Well, I have been watching people and studying their behavior since humans came into existence, I have a decent amount of practice." Celestia replied. "Besides, I don't care who you are or what you're like; you don't get captured and nearly absorbed by a…being, and I use that term loosely, composed of the worst facets of sentient life without coming out with some kind of trauma. I have actually been wondering whether or not you would come to a fairy to help him or go to a human doctor. Now, exactly what kind of problems is he having?" Wanda trusted her friend's judgment and expertise but just spewing Timmy's problems like this felt wrong, besides Timmy hadn't said she could so she was reluctant to answer Celestia.

"I…This isn't my choice Celestia, if it was I would pick you without a doubt, but I think Timmy needs to decide who he sees. When I brought him here I wanted to meet with a number of people before committing, I don't want to rush the process either." Celestia nodded at Wanda's reasonable explanation but then she sighed.

"I understand Wanda, I truly do, but…I am afraid there is another reason I would like to treat Timmy." This was unexpected, Wanda's brow furrowed and Cosmo jumped in with the obvious question.

"What do you mean?" Celestia looked worried and glanced over her shoulder at the children who were about halfway done cleaning up and sighed again.

"I am worried about Amanda. Ever since I brought her here permanently she has refused to have any contact with humans. I do not blame her. After all, if I went through what she did I would hate humans too, but she has become so withdrawn I fear for her. I am the only person she comes into regular contact with and with my job I cannot be a full time mother which is exactly what she needs unfortunately. I have been working almost completely at home for the past year and her increasingly reclusive behavior scares me. She…she needs a friend Wanda, and as much as I hate manipulating the circumstances like this; I feel like I have no choice. She will hide from any other child I try to introduce her to, if I treat Timmy I would do it at home which would allow the two to become familiar with each other and hopefully pull her out of her shell and at the same time give him someone who can empathize with him and help them both heal." As she spoke Celestia's facade fell and the worry she felt became obvious in her voice and face, she was afraid for her god child's well being and honestly thought her solution would work. The more Wanda thought about it, the more it made sense. There was one problem though.

"Are you sure she'll be able to trust him? She seemed almost afraid of him for a while there." Celestia smiled sadly and shook her head.

"That is the way she normally acts around strangers, she was actually calmer than normal. That was probably because I was right next to her but still, that was normal. I think he piqued her interest earlier when he made light of his adventure, whether or not it had to do with his own problems. That humility despite his status makes him seem much more approachable, and besides; he faced the darkness and won. If they spend time together and become friends there will inevitably be some measure of 'knight-in-shining-armor-syndrome'. The mental image made all the faeries smile.

"Well…it's still his decision, but even if we go with someone else I think their spending time together would be good for both of them. He needs a female friend, if only to prepare him somewhat for when he gets older and starts trying to date." Wanda said, serious at first but playful at the end. Cosmo smiled and added his two cents.

"Yeah, if I had some female friends before I started dating it would have made it so much easier." He said as he reminisced about his numerous blunders on his first few dates. Having experience dealing with women definitely helped when one was trying to woo one, not that any man will ever truly understand women; but at least the experience helps. Wanda and Celestia both laughed at that, both having had…less than enjoyable experiences when on dates with inexperienced men. While the faeries finished up their conversation, Timmy was trying to learn a bit more about Amanda, but he couldn't think of any way to start a conversation with her. The fact that she wouldn't meet his eyes and didn't talk wasn't helping.

"Um…Amanda, I was wondering, where do you live?" He was fishing for some way to start. He hadn't meant to say that and mentally winced when he said it out loud. Amanda stiffened as she was putting away the last bit of food.

"W-why?" Timmy couldn't understand what had made her so uncomfortable and momentarily panicked before finding a reasonable answer.

"Oh, no reason. It's just that you have a real slight accent and I can't quite place it." He mentally kicked himself. That sounded a whole lot less stupid in his head. Unfortunately, the reply only made her more uncomfortable.

"My accent is that bad?" She asked quietly, which threw Timmy for a loop. He hadn't said her accent was bad, he said it was slight! How did she get 'bad accent' from what he had said?

"No, it's not bad. It's just that I can't figure out where it's from! I didn't mean to insult you." She seemed to take that at face value because she relaxed a tiny bit and finally answered his question.

"I'm from Minnesota. But I-I haven't lived there in a while so…I think my accent is going away."

"Oh, I've never been there. You're right though, I can barely notice it. What's it like there?" He was happy to finally find a way to start talking with her. She seemed to look at him quizzically, though it was hard to tell with her hair still in front of her eyes.

"It's very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. There are also a lot of trees." Well, he had hoped for something a little more in depth than what he could find in a travel brochure to be honest; but just getting her talking was a victory in and of itself.

"I've heard that winter lasts for like nine months out of the year and the state spends the whole of summer fixing the pot holes in the roads." He was hoping to make her laugh, but had to settle for a tiny smile instead. She relaxed a bit more and seeing as they had finished putting the food away by then, sat on the ground facing him.

"That…that's what it felt like. In December it's dark barely a few hours after you get home from school. It's really hard to get up before dawn to go to school." Timmy laughed at that, he knew exactly what that was like.

"Speaking of school, do you have many snow days?" He asked, sitting down across from her.

"No, not really, by the time you're old enough to go to school you pretty much learn to deal with the snow. The snow isn't hard to deal with; it's driving that's really annoying. The roads get icy and everyone goes really slow so it takes forever to get anywhere so you have to leave real early to be on time, and the worst is when your bus breaks down when it's negative twenty five degrees and you're not even half way to school." Timmy was surprised she was so talkative compared to her earlier silence, but he liked it. Once she got going she was surprisingly easy to talk to, and he really enjoyed the conversation. Wanda said that she needed a friend and judging by the way things were going he was cautiously optimistic about how this could turn out.

"That actually happened?"

"More than once, it's horrible. There's no room to breathe since everyone has backpacks and winter coats on. Even if you only have one other person in the seat with you it's claustrophobic and uncomfortable, and since school busses are nothing but aluminum cans with seats any heat left inside is gone almost as soon as the heater stops working." Timmy could imagine that, his bus had never broken down thankfully but the thought was horrible. He was about to ask another question when the faeries came back.

"Everything is packed? Excellent, now I am afraid it is time to depart Amanda." The shy girl's timid demeanor returned in full force when Cosmo and Wanda returned.

"O-okay…goodbye Timmy" She muttered, Celestia looked shocked for a split second before recovering her composure.

"I look forward to meeting again soon Wanda, do keep in touch!" Celestia waved her wand and she and Amanda disappeared, leaving Timmy alone with his godparents once more. Cosmo noticed the smile on Timmy's face and couldn't help but ask.

"What were you two talking about?" Timmy didn't say anything for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, but he shook it off and turned to face his godparents.

"Her home state." Wanda quirked an eyebrow.

"For that long?"

"No, it took me a while to get her to talk to me but once she did she seemed to get a little more comfortable and by the end I think she was almost enjoying herself. Cosmo and Wanda shared a look and smiled themselves. That was good news.

"Say sport…what did you think of Celestia?" Ventured Wanda.

"Oh, she's…different." Said Timmy, struggling for a good adjective. "She's different, but she's nice; and very easy to talk to."

"Would you feel comfortable with her…treating you?" Cosmo asked, unable to think of a way to make it sound any prettier. The smile fell from Timmy's face as his mind was brought back to the edge of the dark pit he had been living in for months. After a silent minute he finally spoke up.

"Yeah, I think I would…she can't tell anyone and...And as long as we're careful not to give it away ourselves no one will know why we're here. Besides, she said she had read a lot about…It, and that could help, right?"

Wanda smiled; it looked like her plan to meet with some other psychologists was unnecessary after all. "Alright sport, I'll talk to her about it and set up the first meeting. I have no idea when it'll be but it should be within a week or so." Timmy smiled again, as his mind traveled back to Amanda.

"Do you think I'd be able to see Amanda again?" Cosmo and Wanda smiled again; this had worked out better than they had hoped.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Said Wanda. "We'd better get going though, I don't like the thought of Poof in Mama Cosma's clutches for this long." Timmy laughed as the three of them walked back to get Poof. Unbeknownst to them, Celestia and Amanda were having a similar conversation at Celestia's home.

"Well, I must admit I am surprised. Timmy was much more humble than one might expect." Said Celestia as she poofed the basket away and the few dishes it contained into the sink.

"Yeah, he is. He even asked me about Minnesota." Celestia smiled, Amanda was actually excited. It was hard to tell, but Celestia had been around her long enough to tell Amanda had enjoyed the short conversation she had with Timmy.

"Oh, could he tell where you were from by your accent?"

"No, but he noticed it and asked me about it." She said smiling; normally no one besides her godmother paid any attention to her. Admittedly, she usually preferred it that way but the notice he had taken and the genuine interest he had shown had been very nice.

"So you are saying that he asked you about something personal and you actually answered? I believe I shall go into shock!" Celestia said dramatically, smiling as she swooned into a nearby chair. Amanda blushed and looked at her godmother indignantly.

"M-mom! I…oh, hush." She frowned and ducked her head to her chest as Celestia laughed.

"Oh, my dear I am just surprised is all. You normally don't make a peep around strangers, nevermind actually talking. About yourself no less!" Amanda still didn't look happy and remained rooted on the spot, resolutely staring at the ground. Celestia's smile widened, this was great. Amanda was acting like she had before…her experience. The thought threatened to drag her mood down but the fairy simply refused to let it. Instead she got up and hugged her god daughter tightly. "I am sorry, I shouldn't laugh so. I am happy to see you happy my dear." She said seriously, stroking Amanda's hair. Amanda buried her face in Celestia's shoulder and sighed, enjoying the affection. After a few moments the two parted and sat down on the closest couch.

"Do…do you think I could see him again?" Amanda asked, leaning back into the soft couch and looking at her godmother.

"You just might. Depending on how circumstances work out he may be coming to me for counseling." This shocked Amanda.

"Why?" Celestia shook her head.

"It is not my place to say, even if he were not a potential patient. He deserves his privacy." She said sternly, then her voice softened and she continued. "He…has been through a lot. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but things affect him just like anyone else. If he does come to me you must treat him like any of my other patients."

"Could…we still be friends?" Asked Amanda, a little nervous from the firm tone Celestia had used, she relaxed when her godmother smiled at her.

"Yes, you can still be friends. In point of fact, I think that that would be good for both of you." Celestia said as she drew Amanda into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Now then, I have a few reports to finish; but afterwards we can go to the library like you wanted, how does that sound?" Amanda smiled and hugged her godmother.

"That sounds great."

Author's note:

I had a fair amount of trouble writing this chapter, I had originally meant this story to be a one-shot but since I got positive feedback and a few leftover ideas I decided to go ahead and try to expand. If you have any helpful criticism to give I would appreciate it, especially if it has to do with my grammar. Despite years of schooling, grammar is still extremely hard for me and as such, I try to keep things simple. Before this story I literally never used a semi-colon before, I couldn't tell the difference between a participle from a predicate (or define them for that matter) to save my life. Anyway, thanks for reading this far and remember, I'm pullin' for ya! We're all in this together!


End file.
